About this course

Entry requirements

Admission to the MPhil/PhD is conditional on obtaining a good merit on a previous MSc degree, normally defined as an overall average of 65 per cent or above and 65 per cent or above on the dissertation. Students who have not taken a master's level course equivalent to the appropriate LSE option relevant for their theme will normally be recommended to apply for the MSc in European Studies (Research).

Months of entry

October

Course content

The European Institute is a leading international centre for the study of contemporary Europe. It was ranked first by the British Government for research in European Studies in the United Kingdom, in the most recent (2008) Research Assessment Exercise. It is a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, and hosts a leading discussion paper series, LSE Europe in Question (LEQS).

There are over 20 academic staff members from a number of disciplines which include economic history, geography, political economy, political sociology, international relations, political science, law, philosophy and social policy.

The Institute offers a vibrant research climate. It hosts a number of research units: The Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies; The Catalan Observatory; The Forum for European Philosophy; The Hellenic Observatory; and LSEE (LSE Research on South East Europe). It also runs ten different seminar series, including a lunchtime seminar series dedicated just to doctoral research. There are over 35 doctoral students. Students supervised by European Institute staff have won the UACES prize for best doctoral thesis three times.

The Institute also has a very active programme of public lectures, seminars and conferences on issues relating to contemporary Europe. We host over 100 events a year with a wide range of public and academic speakers: recent high level speakers have included the presidents of Italy and Lithuania; the president of the Commission; the prime ministers of Latvia, Greece, Finland, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Hungary, Turkey, Sweden and Estonia; and eight commissioners.

Department specialisms

EU politics, law and policy; European political economy; and European ideas and identities. With our emphasis on a pan-European focus and a multidisciplinary perspective, each theme is placed in a distinct context identifying patterns of change and continuity in the new Europe of the 21st century.